MP Dan Purdie says it’s almost impossible for police to keep juvenile offenders in custody
Sunshine Coast MP Dan Purdie knows just how thin the blue line is when it comes to policing young offenders. The former Detective says a watered down Youth Justice Act means it’s almost impossible for officers to keep the community safe.
Opinion
Don't miss out on the headlines from Opinion. Followed categories will be added to My News.
What will it take?
Long before Queensland was dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, we were suffering a youth crime epidemic.
The news of the tragic death of Katherine Leadbetter and her partner Matthew Field walking their dogs on Australia Day when they were mowed down allegedly by a 17-year-old offender in a stolen car, has sent shockwaves right across the state.
I, along with all Queenslanders, express my deepest sympathies to their families, friends and loved ones.
Sadly, and unfortunately, this hasn’t come as a surprise to our frontline police. It’s not the first time innocent lives have been lost due to our youth crime epidemic.
Police have been warning the government their soft on crime regime and overt push to keep recidivist offenders out of custody and on the streets would end in tragedy.
I was on the frontline, as a Detective in the Queensland Police Child Protection and Investigation Unit in 2015 when the Palaszczuk Labor Government started watering down the Youth Justice Act.
It’s now almost impossible for police to keep recidivist juvenile offenders in custody. The thin blue line has never been thinner and our hardworking police have had a gutful of the revolving door youth justice system.
Every night police are chasing the same young thugs breaking into homes, stealing cars, robbing people and thumbing their noses at the law, and they are powerless to stop them.
The highest priority of any government should be the safety and security of its citizens. Everyone has the right to feel safe.
How many innocent lives must be lost before the Palaszczuk Labor Government gives our police the laws, powers and resources they need to do their job?
Dan Purdie is the LNP member for the state seat of Ninderry and a former Queensland Police Service Detective.
Labor maxing out the credit card on socialist policies
The Premier’s $1.4bn pledge to provide free school lunches for all Queensland state primary school children is a bold move, but a sign Labor is just maxing out the credit card on socialist policies that are short-term sugar hits.
Prepare for a summer of discontent
The timing of the next federal election is likely to condemn us to an excruciatingly long unofficial campaign, sapping all the fun to Christmas and beyond, writes Patrick Carlyon.